2026 Branson trip review - Part 2

The beautiful fountains at Branson Landing

Our first stop on Wednesday morning was Billy Gail's at Branson Mill (on Gretna Road). I've been wanting to go to Billy Gail's for years, but hubby didn't want to, and I couldn't find a good deal. Until this year, that is. The son thought he could eat the Ultimate Breakfast Combo (2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, ham, sausage patty, and the famous 14" pancake). He did not succeed. I got the Meat Lover's Omelette, which I couldn't finish. Hubby got the Biscuits and Gravy combo. I helped the son with the 14" pancake. The food was good, although next time I'll order a smaller breakfast. Our server's name was Sofia, and she had a lovely accent. We asked her about it, and she had us guess what it was. I said "Romanian," and she said I was close - she was actually Russian. We had an OzarksDeals.com voucher, but it is no longer available.

We went back to the condo for a little while until it was time to leave to visit Truth Traveler. We went to one of TT's sister attractions, the Ark Encounter in Tennessee, last fall. Truth Traveler is located in the old Andy Williams Moon River Theater. The building, both inside and out, has been totally remodeled. The only things left from Andy's time were half of the theater's seating area and Andy's fish in the ponds outside the museum, where there was a machine to buy fish food, like at the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery. It is very handicap accessible, unlike before. We checked in at the counter, and the first stop was to take a 3D photo that could be used as an avatar. I opened an account, but never received our avatars. The next step was an introductory video introducing Truth Traveler, featuring a cute robot, a professor, and his granddaughter. The next stop was one of the 5 pods, where we sat in comfy seats and put on virtual reality goggles. We watched a 5D movie starring our cute robot and the scientist, and it went through the Bible from creation to the Ascension. The seats moved at various points, and when we were in the Garden of Eden, I thought I smelled flowers. After the movie was done, we went back to the main level. We went to the gift shop, where I bought a t-shirt and our usual refrigerator magnet. We went to the snack bar to pick up concessions before watching a movie called "Fear Not" about Mary and the birth of Jesus. We had an OzarksDeals.com voucher for Truth Traveler, but it is no longer available. 

After we were done at Truth Traveler, we went to The Grand Village shopping center, where my husband bought a large-print word search book at the Fig Tree Books and More bookstore. We looked around at Kringle's Christmas Store, but my husband was getting tired, so we went back to the condo to eat lunch and rest before our evening activity. I drove out to Shepherd of the Hills to pick up our tickets for that evening.

Our evening show was Buffalo Bob's Wild West Showdown at the Shepherd of the Hills complex. If you enjoy shows and books about the Wild West, you will enjoy this show. From the Shepherd of the Hills website: 

Shepherd’s Wild West Showdown is a 90-minute outdoor western arena show at Shepherd of the Hills in Branson, Missouri. Combining authentic western skills with theatrical storytelling, the production features talented riders, beautiful horses, daring stunts, family-friendly comedy, and a heartwarming romance that captures the adventurous spirit of the Old West.

We arrived at Shepherd of the Hills at 6:30 PM to secure a good parking spot. The trams didn't start taking guests to the outdoor theater until 7 PM, so we went to Sammy Lane's Sweets and Treats. The husband and son got ice cream, and I got a caramel milkshake. It was all yummy. The theater has a concession stand and bathrooms. 

The three of us enjoyed this show from beginning to end. The performers were so talented. I really enjoyed the horseback riders and the guy with the lasso and whip (not at the same time, thankfully). The snake oil salesmen were hilarious. We used an OzarksDeals.com voucher for this show (get it here), and it is still available as of this writing. Here are some photos I took:

On Friday morning, we went to Branson Landing. The hubby wanted to get some cargo shorts at Bass Pro Shops. Unfortunately, they were not as cheap as we thought they would be for the third week in July, so we didn't buy any. I purchased another St. Louis Cardinals sticker for my Jeep at On the Ball Sports, since the current one is rather faded. It was a lot cooler on Thursday than it was on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we walked most of the way down the Landing. There were ladies in the doorways of the Smith Creek Winery and the Smith Creek Moonshine stores trying to entice us to come inside and taste their products, but we resisted. After we left the Landing, we went to lunch at Pizza Ranch. We had to wait a few minutes because they didn't open until 11:00 AM. 

After lunch, we went back to the condo to relax until it was time for our afternoon show. Deena from Freedom Encounter emailed me and let me know that they had finally received their refrigerator magnets. I went to the gas station to fill the car before our trip home and stopped by Freedom Encounter to purchase a magnet. They are very nice - they were made in the USA and are not imported. 

Our final show was a production of "Prince Caspian" at the Logos Theater, which was formerly the Lawrence Welk Theater. "Prince Caspian" is the third novel in The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. This production was approved by the C.S. Lewis estate. The acting was excellent, and the scenery was awesome (props to the stagehands - they were quite busy). We had an OzarksDeals.com voucher for this show, but it is no longer available. They did not allow us to take photos of the play, but the lobby was decorated to look like the London train station. Here are some photos:

If you're coming to Branson in the fall, you can see the production of "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" starting on September 11. 

Friday morning came all too soon, and it was time to return home. We had a great time in Branson, even though it rained most of the way home. We're hoping for a Christmas season trip, but the hubby has to have surgery on his neck this fall, so the trip may not happen.

Thanks as always for reading! See you next time!

Diane

2026 Branson trip review - Part 1

We left for Branson on a Monday about 8:30 AM. A note for those making the trip south on Hwy. 44 from the St. Louis area or points east - the first rest stop on Hwy. 44 (the one in the middle between the highway lanes) is being remodeled, on both the southbound and the northbound sides.  We stopped by Culver's in St. Robert for lunch. 

Our next stop was at the rest stop outside of Conway. They had a lovely Route 66 display. We picked up various brochures in the tourist area, although I unfortunately couldn't find the buy one, get one half off coupons for McFarland's, Heros, and Florentina's. There weren't even vouchers available on OzarksDeals.com for these restaurants.  I guess they can't afford to give discounts this year.

We then, of course, stopped at Buc-ees to fill up the car's gas tank and empty our bladders. I picked up a 6-pack of oatmeal raisin cookies, which were yummy. When we got to Branson, we stopped at Walmart on the strip to pick up necessities. They were very busy for a Monday. 

We stayed at a condominium at Pointe Royale Club Village. I have been wanting to stay there for years. I finally found a condo there that was available during the week we wanted to stay. We booked it on Vrbo, and you can see the listing here. Vrbo now allows you to pay for your condo via Affirm, which allows you to split up the total amount into monthly payments. This was very helpful. We loved this condo - it had a walk-in shower, which my husband needs, and there were only six steps up to the front door, plus there was parking right in front of the condo. It had two recliners. The condo was very clean, and there was a Keurig coffee machine and a regular coffee maker. The kitchen was well equipped. 

On Tuesday morning, the son and I visited Tanger Outlet Mall. I didn't purchase anything at Bath & Body Works (amazing!), but I purchased a cosmetic case at Vera Bradley, and I purchased a new pair of athletic shoes and a pair of sandals from Famous Footwear. The Tanger Famous Footwear is a lot bigger than the ones in my area. 

This year's trip theme was history. On Tuesday afternoon, we attended the Freedom Journey Experience at the Freedom Encounter complex (the photo above is from the outside of the complex). Freedom Encounter is located in the old Tony Orlando Theater on Falls Parkway off Hwy. 163. This show is at 1 PM Tuesday through Saturday. Deena, the docent, met us in front of the gift store and took the vouchers that we had purchased at Branson 2 for 1 Tickets (no OzarksDeals.com deals). We looked around the gift store and purchased two t-shirts, plus a couple of stickers. I mentioned to Dana that I was looking for a Freedom Encounter magnet to add to our refrigerator magnet collection. She said they were having the magnets made, but they weren't ready yet. During our conversation, we discovered that she was originally from the area that we live in. The Experience consists of three parts - a movie featuring Dr. Benjamin Rush (played by the same actor who played Ben Franklin in the Sight & Sound "A Great Awakening" movie, as I discovered later), a speech by a minister and also by Samuel Adams in the Colonial Church, and a visit to a one-room schoolhouse where a teacher discussed the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the role of government. A quote from the brochure reads, "FREEDOM ENCOUNTER is telling the story of tyranny and freedom through the lens of faith." It was a very compelling and fascinating presentation. It would be a great place to take your kids if you homeschool, and do take them even if you don't. There was a concession stand and a display of materials. We enjoyed our visit here, and I highly recommend this presentation. Here are some photos:

We went back to the condo for a bit, then went to Danna's BBQ for dinner before we went to the Hits on Route 66 show at the Americana Theater. Eric and Lindsey Heatherly were the stars, and there was also the drummer, who was the MC - sorry, I forgot his name. Not only was the music presentation great, with a full sound with just a lead guitar, bass guitar, and drums, there was also a documentary produced by Lindsey about the history of Route 66 that was interspersed with the songs. And the costume changes! I lost count of how many times Lindsey and Eric changed costumes that fit every decade of songs. There were quite a few repeat customers in the front row. There weren't a lot of people there, perhaps because of the odd 5 PM start time. But it's a great show, and it's well worth your time and effort to see it. It's a great review (musical and documentary-wise) of the history of Route 66, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year. It's a high-energy, fun show.  We enjoyed this show very much. OzarksDeals.com deal link

Click on the OzarksDeals.com link to purchase a voucher(s) for this show. As of this writing, this deal is still available. However, be advised that if you read this post later, this deal may not be available.  

There are 2 more days' activities to discuss, so I will post them in the next blog post. Thanks for reading!

Diane